Non-therapeutic male circumcision in infancy or childhood and risk of human immunodeficiency virus and other sexually transmitted infections: national cohort study in Denmark

Assessment of the Knowledge and Attitudes of Muslim Religious Officials Regarding Male Circumcision: The Case of Turkey

This study was aimed at evaluating the knowledge and attitudes of religious officials in Turkey about circumcision. Among the Imams, 96.7% (n = 234) were married, and 91.3% (n = 221) had male children. The place of circumcision was at home in 42.1% (n = 102), and 56.1% (n = 123) of the performers were not licensed physicians. Overall, 59.1% of the Imams believed that circumcision provided protection against HIV, 49.6% believed it reduced the risk of penile cancer, and 69.8% believed that circumcision increased sexual potency. Our research reveals that Imams in Turkey lack knowledge about circumcision.

Genital Modifications in Prepubescent Minors: When May Clinicians Ethically Proceed?

When is it ethically permissible for clinicians to surgically intervene into the genitals of a legal minor? We distinguish between voluntary and nonvoluntary procedures and focus on nonvoluntary procedures, specifically in prepubescent minors ("children"). We do not address procedures in adolescence or adulthood. With respect to children categorized as female at birth who have no apparent differences of sex development (i.e., non-intersex or "endosex" females) there is a near-universal ethical consensus in the Global North. This consensus holds that clinicians may not perform any nonvoluntary genital cutting or surgery, from "cosmetic" labiaplasty to medicalized ritual "pricking" of the vulva, insofar as the procedure is not strictly necessary to protect the child's physical health. All other motivations, including possible psychosocial, cultural, subjective-aesthetic, or prophylactic benefits as judged by doctors or parents, are seen as categorically inappropriate grounds for a clinician to proceed with a nonvoluntary genital procedure in this population. We argue that the main ethical reasons capable of supporting this consensus turn not on empirically contestable benefit-risk calculations, but on a fundamental concern to respect the child's privacy, bodily integrity, developing sexual boundaries, and (future) genital autonomy. We show that these ethical reasons are sound. However, as we argue, they do not only apply to endosex female children, but rather to all children regardless of sex characteristics, including those with intersex traits and endosex males. We conclude, therefore, that as a matter of justice, inclusivity, and gender equality in medical-ethical policy (we do not take a position as to criminal law), clinicians should not be permitted to perform any nonvoluntary genital cutting or surgery in prepubescent minors, irrespective of the latter's sex traits or gender assignment, unless urgently necessary to protect their physical health. By contrast, we suggest that voluntary surgeries in older individuals might, under certain conditions, permissibly be performed for a wider range of reasons, including reasons of self-identity or psychosocial well-being, in keeping with the circumstances, values, and explicit needs and preferences of the persons so concerned. Note: Because our position is tied to clinicians' widely accepted role-specific duties as medical practitioners within regulated healthcare systems, we do not consider genital procedures performed outside of a healthcare context (e.g., for religious reasons) or by persons other than licensed healthcare providers working in their professional capacity.

Syphilis for dermatologists: Current concepts

Dermatologists are familiar with the classic aspects of syphilis. Our objective in this update is to display novel features of sexually acquired syphilis, its pathophysiology, natural history, atypical clinical variants, skin of color, clinical pearls, and prospects. Textbook knowledge, congenital syphilis, epidemiology, and historical data are excluded.

Comments by opponents on the British Medical Association's guidance on non-therapeutic male circumcision of children seem one-sided and may undermine public health

The British Medical Association (BMA) guidance on non-therapeutic circumcision (NTMC) of male children is limited to ethical, legal and religious issues. Here we evaluate criticisms of the BMA's guidance by Lempert et al. While their arguments promoting autonomy and consent might be superficially appealing, their claim of high procedural risks and negligible benefits seem one-sided and contrast with high quality evidence of low risk and lifelong benefits. Extensive literature reviews by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in developing evidence-based policies, as well as risk-benefit analyses, have found that the medical benefits of infant NTMC greatly exceed the risks, and there is no reduction in sexual function and pleasure. The BMA's failure to consider the medical benefits of early childhood NTMC may partly explain why this prophylactic intervention is discouraged in the United Kingdom. The consequence is higher prevalence of preventable infections, adverse medical conditions, suffering and net costs to the UK's National Health Service for treatment of these. Many of the issues and contradictions in the BMA guidance identified by Lempert et al stem from the BMA's guidance not being sufficiently evidence-based. Indeed, that document called for a review by others of the medical issues surrounding NTMC. While societal factors apply, ultimately, NTMC can only be justified rationally on scientific, evidence-based grounds. Parents are entitled to an accurate presentation of the medical evidence so that they can make an informed decision. Their decision either for or against NTMC should then be respected.

A comprehensive comparison of the early and late complications of surgical circumcision in neonates and children: A cohort study

Background and Aims

Major circumcision complications are rare; however, circumcision arouses distress in some special cases. The present study aimed to compare infancy and childhood regarding the frequency and relative risk of early and late complications of circumcision.

Methods

This study was a retrospective cohort data analysis including 240 neonates and 240 children referred for circumcision from 2015 to 2021. All circumcisions were performed using the surgical dorsal-ventral slits method. A Cox proportional hazard model was used to assess the relative risk (RR) of complications at a confidence Interval of 95%.

Results

The mean age was 19.32 ± 6.5 days for the neonates and 46.1 ± 8.8 months for the children. In general, complications occurred in 61 boys (12.7%), 40 neonates (8.3%), and 21 children (4.4%) (p˂0.001). Bleeding was the most common early complication in six neonates (2.5%) and three children (1.3%), and meatal stenosis was the most common late complication in 10 neonates (4.2%) and four children (1.6%). Meatal web was observed in 11 neonates (4.6%) and four children (1.6%), and the incomplete removal of the prepuce, as "not very satisfactory", was also noticed in nine neonates (3.75%) and three children (1.3%). The circumcision complications were significantly more frequent in neonates than in children (RR = 2.6, 95% CI 1.46-4.71, p<0.001). The neonatal circumcisions had a significant risk of the incomplete removal of the prepuce, meatal web, and meatal stenosis compared to children (RR = 3, 95% CI 5.83-10.81, p<0.04; RR = 2.75, 95% CI 0.9-8.3, p˂0.03; RR = 2.5, 95% CI 0.8-7.75, p<0.04, respectively).

Conclusion

The risk of complications is higher in neonates than children. The incomplete removal of prepuce, meatal web, and meatal stenosis are significantly higher in neonates than in children. Before prohibiting or recommending this procedure, practitioners should provide comprehensive information about its risks and benefits. Parents should weigh up the risks and benefits and make the best decision regarding their personal beliefs and customs.

Infant Circumcision for Sexually Transmitted Infection Risk Reduction Globally

Population-based studies in high-income countries have failed to find that male circumcision protects against sexually transmitted infections. Using evidence from several sources, we show that male circumcision does protect against HIV during insertive intercourse for men who have sex with men.